Cancer rewires the way the body uses food. So eating more, even of the right things, doesn’t reverse the weight loss the way it would in any other situation. Inflammation from the tumour pushes muscle to break down. Insulin resistance blocks the calories from being properly used. The result? Three full meals a day, kilos still dropping.

According to Prof. Dr. Sandeep Nayak, Surgical Oncologist in India, “Families often blame themselves when the patient keeps losing weight despite eating well. That guilt is misplaced. The problem isn’t the food, it’s that cancer has shifted the body’s metabolism. The only way to genuinely reverse the loss is treating the cancer alongside nutrition, never nutrition by itself.”

It’s not about appetite. The biology behind it runs much deeper.

• Chronic inflammation: Tumour cells leak inflammatory chemicals into the bloodstream. These chemicals confuse how muscle and fat cells use energy. Food gets eaten. The body just can’t turn it into stored weight.
• Insulin resistance: Cancer drags the body into insulin resistance. Glucose arrives, cells stay locked out. Muscle gets broken down to fill the energy gap.
• Hormone shifts: Tissue breaking down hormones outpace the tissue building ones. The balance tips toward wasting. Food intake doesn’t fix that imbalance on its own.
• Energy burns higher: Tumours steal calories at rest, competing with healthy tissue. Resting metabolism climbs. The same plate of food that used to maintain weight no longer does.

For patients whose cancer can be surgically controlled, robotic cancer surgery often slows or reverses the metabolic chaos behind the weight loss.

Combined approaches work. Single fixes rarely do.

• Treat the cancer: This is the main lever. When cancer responds to chemo, targeted therapy or surgery, inflammation eases. Weight stabilises or comes back gradually.
• Medication options: Anamorelin for appetite. Megestrol for weight gain. Low dose steroids short term. Newer trial drugs like ponsegromab target the GDF15 pathway behind cachexia directly.
• Resistance exercise: Counter intuitive but proven. Light strength training holds onto muscle that calories alone can’t. Even fifteen minutes a day shows up on the scale eventually.
• Smart nutrition: Protein dense, calorie heavy. Small frequent meals, not three big ones. Oncology dietitian input where possible. Nutrition stays important, just never alone.

For patients where nutritional deficiency is also part of the picture, our blog on vitamin B12 deficiency and cancer covers another angle worth checking.

Dr. Sandeep Nayak has spent 24 years in surgical oncology. He holds DNB qualifications in Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, plus a fellowship in Laparoscopic and Robotic Onco Surgery. He works closely with oncology dietitians, supportive care teams and medical oncologists to address cancer weight loss through combined intervention rather than nutrition alone.

Every case at MACS Clinic is reviewed by the multidisciplinary tumour board before treatment planning. Call +91 8104310753 to book your consultation.

Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Robotic cancer surgery is widely available to international patients in India, including those travelling from Gulf countries. MACS Clinic Bangalore is among the centres that accept Gulf patients for these procedures, with the standard international patient pathway already established. Treatment typically takes 10 to 14 days from arrival to discharge, and Indian centres use the same Da Vinci Xi platform found in major US and European hospitals.

According to Prof. Dr. Sandeep Nayak, Surgical Oncologist in India, “International patients seeking cancer surgery need three things, the same surgical technology they’d access at home, a logistical pathway built around their family, and continuity of care once they return. Most major Indian cancer centres are now set up for this, which is why Gulf families have been part of the practice for over a decade.”

The clinical offering at major Indian cancer centres mirrors global standards.

• Robotic surgery: The Da Vinci Xi platform is used for breast, head and neck, colorectal, stomach, prostate, kidney and gynaecological cancers. The same technology is available across US and European centres.
• HIPEC and PIPAC: Specialised peritoneal cancer surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy are available at select Indian centres. These options aren’t widely offered across the Gulf region.
• Tumour board review: Indian cancer centres of standard follow the multidisciplinary tumour board model. The treatment plan comes from the full team rather than a single doctor.
• Continuity considerations: Post operative care matters as much as the surgery itself. Detailed discharge summaries and telehealth follow up help patients transition back to local doctors at home.

For more on the surgical procedure itself and which cancers it suits best, robotic cancer surgery covers procedure details, recovery timelines and cancer types treated.

The logistics around international cancer treatment generally follow a similar pattern.

• Medical visa: India issues an M visa specifically for medical treatment, with an attendant visa for one family member. Hospital invitation letters typically arrive within 48 hours of confirmation.
• Language support: Indian cancer centres serving international patients commonly have Arabic, French or Russian translation depending on patient demographics. Worth confirming before travel.
• Cultural needs: Halal food, prayer spaces and accommodation respectful of family customs are standard parts of international patient programmes at most major Indian hospitals.
• Continuity of care: Discharge summary, follow up timetable and telehealth access for the early weeks back home keep the recovery seamless and reduce the chance of complications going unnoticed.

For patients specifically travelling for peritoneal cancer surgery with intraoperative chemotherapy, our blog on HIPEC surgery walks through what outcomes and survival actually depend on.

Dr. Sandeep Nayak has spent 24 years in surgical oncology. He holds DNB qualifications in Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, plus a fellowship in Laparoscopic and Robotic Onco Surgery. International patients including those from Gulf countries have been part of his practice for over a decade, supported by Arabic translation, dedicated coordinators and post operative continuity arrangements.

Every case at MACS Clinic is reviewed by the multidisciplinary tumour board before treatment planning. Call +91 8104310753 to book your consultation.

Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Surgery doesn’t automatically stop. The surgeon looks at what’s there, how far it goes, and whether dealing with it right then is safe. A frozen section biopsy goes to pathology. Result back in 15 to 30 minutes, patient still on the table. What happens next depends entirely on that result. And on whether the team went in prepared for exactly this possibility.

According to Prof. Dr. Sandeep Nayak, Surgical Oncologist in India, “Finding cancer intraoperatively isn’t a failure of planning. It happens. The response isn’t panic, it’s a clinical assessment. We look at what we’re dealing with, send for frozen section, check with the anaesthesiologist about time and patient stability, and make the safest call possible right there. Sometimes that means completing the resection. Sometimes it means closing and coming back with a proper plan.”

Fast steps. Specific order. Nothing improvised.

• Frozen section goes first: A tissue sample leaves the theatre immediately. The pathologist freezes it, slices it, stains it, reads it. Result in 15 to 30 minutes. That result drives everything that follows.
• Extent gets assessed: Is this isolated or has it spread further than imaging showed? Adjacent organs. Lymph nodes. Peritoneum. The surgeon looks carefully. What’s visible changes the scope of what’s possible right there.
• Anaesthesiologist gets consulted: How long has the patient been under? Are they stable? Some operations can extend safely. Others can’t. That conversation happens in real time, not after.
• Proceed or close: Finding is resectable, patient is stable, team has what it needs? Surgery continues. Not possible safely? Wound closes. Patient wakes up. Tumour board plans the next step.

For cancer findings that lead to immediate surgical removal, robotic cancer surgery allows precise resection in tight spaces with less blood loss, making intraoperative extension more feasible when the conditions are right.

Four situations come up most. Each one plays out differently.

• Incidental cancer: Operation was for something else entirely. A gallbladder. A hernia. A cyst. Cancer found by chance. Surgeon samples it, notes the location, closes safely. Oncology referral comes next.
• More disease than expected: Staging scans missed something. Cancer has spread to adjacent structures not visible pre-operatively. Surgeon reassesses. Either extends the operation or closes to plan something more complex.
• Positive margins found: Known cancer, planned operation. Frozen section shows cancer cells at the cut edge. More tissue gets taken in the same session. Same anaesthesia, one operation, clear margin.
• Unresectable disease: Cancer has wrapped around major vessels, nerves or structures that can’t be safely removed. Proceeding would cause more harm than benefit. Patient closed. Woken up. Referred for non surgical treatment.

For patients who’ve had surgery and want to understand what the pathology result means for next steps, our blog on surgical margin in cancer surgery explains every category clearly.

Dr. Sandeep Nayak has spent 24 years in surgical oncology. He holds DNB qualifications in Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, plus a fellowship in Laparoscopic and Robotic Onco Surgery. He’s operated across thousands of cancer cases, many with intraoperative complexity that needed real-time decisions. He works with a dedicated intraoperative pathology team and anaesthesiology support so unexpected findings get a clinical response on the spot.

Every case at MACS Clinic is reviewed by the multidisciplinary tumour board before treatment planning. Call +91 8104310753 to book your consultation.

Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Immunosuppression means the immune system can’t fight infections the way it should. During cancer treatment, two things drive it. The cancer itself disrupts immune function, and chemotherapy wipes out the white blood cells that defend the body. The result? A minor cold becomes a hospitalisation risk. A small cut needs watching. Patients most patients sail through treatment, this immune window is the part that needs the most careful management.

According to Prof. Dr. Sandeep Nayak, Surgical Oncologist in India, “Immunosuppression during cancer treatment isn’t a rare complication. It’s an expected part of the process for most patients on chemotherapy. Chemo can’t tell cancer cells from white blood cells, so both take a hit. Managing that window carefully, watching for fever, avoiding infection sources, staying on supportive care, matters as much as the treatment itself.”

Cancer and its treatment both contribute. Often simultaneously.

• Chemotherapy: Chemo attacks fast dividing cells. Bone marrow, which produces white blood cells, divides fast. So it takes a direct hit. White cell count falls. The immune window opens.
• Radiation therapy: Radiation near or over bone marrow reduces blood cell production. Wide field radiation, pelvic or whole body, has the strongest suppressive effect on immunity.
• Steroids: Dexamethasone and prednisone are routinely used alongside cancer treatment. They control inflammation well. They also blunt the immune response at the same time.
• Cancer itself: Blood cancers like leukaemia and lymphoma invade the immune system directly. Solid tumours release inflammatory signals that throw immune regulation off, even before treatment begins.

For patients having surgery as part of their cancer plan, robotic cancer surgery reduces tissue trauma and blood loss, helping the immune system recover faster through the post operative period.

Active management, not passive watching.

• Neutropenia watch: White cells hit their lowest point, the nadir, around 7 to 14 days after a chemo cycle. Fever above 38°C during this window? Hospital, not home. That’s the rule.
• G-CSF injections: Filgrastim and pegfilgrastim push bone marrow to produce more white cells. Given after high risk chemo cycles to shorten how long the immune window stays open.
• Infection prevention: Handwashing. No crowds. No raw or undercooked food. Avoid visibly unwell people. Small habits that carry real weight when immunity is low.
• Vaccine timing: Live vaccines are off during active treatment. Flu and pneumococcal vaccines go in before chemo starts, or after immunity recovers. Timing matters.

For patients thinking about longer term planning once treatment ends, including how immune recovery affects decisions like pregnancy after cancer, the recovery timeline is a central part of that conversation.

Dr. Sandeep Nayak has spent 24 years in surgical oncology. He holds DNB qualifications in Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, plus a fellowship in Laparoscopic and Robotic Onco Surgery. He coordinates surgery timing with the medical oncology team to avoid operating during the nadir window, and ensures supportive care for immune management is built into the treatment plan from the start.

Every case at MACS Clinic is reviewed by the multidisciplinary tumour board before treatment planning. Call +91 8104310753 to book your consultation.

Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Frozen section is a quick tissue test done while surgery is still in progress. The surgeon sends a piece of tissue to the pathology lab. It gets flash frozen, sliced thin, stained and looked at under a microscope. The result comes back in 15 to 30 minutes, while the patient is still on the table. It tells the surgeon whether to take more tissue out, stop where they are, or change the plan entirely. Real time pathology, in other words.

According to Prof. Dr. Sandeep Nayak, Surgical Oncologist in India, “Frozen section is one of the most useful tools in cancer surgery because it changes the operation in real time. We don’t have to close up, wait a week for results and bring the patient back for a second surgery. The pathologist tells us right then whether the margin is clear, the lymph node is positive or the diagnosis is what we expected.”

Three big situations come up in oncology. Each one changes the plan on the spot.

• Margin check: During lumpectomy or other tumour removal, the surgeon sends the edge of the cut tissue for frozen section. If cancer cells sit at the edge, more tissue gets removed in the same operation.
• Lymph node status: Sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer often uses frozen section. If the node is positive, the surgeon knows to clear more nodes during the same surgery.
• Diagnosis confirmation: When pre op biopsy isn’t conclusive or wasn’t done, frozen section confirms whether the lump is cancer or benign. Plan changes accordingly.
• Organ preservation calls: Sometimes frozen section decides whether to remove the whole organ or save part of it. Thyroid, parotid, ovary, pancreas, all common examples.

For patients whose surgery uses robotic precision alongside intraoperative pathology, robotic cancer surgery brings tight margin control with frozen section guiding each major decision.

Quick, useful, but not perfect. Final pathology is still the gold standard.

• High accuracy: Around 95 percent agreement with formal paraffin section pathology done later. Most surgical decisions made on frozen section turn out correct.
• Some limitations: Tissue gets distorted during freezing. Fat doesn’t freeze well. Small or sneaky cancer cells can be missed in rapid processing.
• Final report still: Tissue always goes for proper paraffin section after frozen. The full diagnosis comes 5 to 7 days later. That’s the real final result.
• Surgeon judgement: Pathologist gives the result, surgeon decides what to do. Both work together in real time, often discussing borderline findings before next steps.

For patients curious about what margin clear or positive actually means in the pathology report, our blog on surgical margin walks through each category.

Dr. Sandeep Nayak has spent 24 years in surgical oncology. He holds DNB qualifications in Surgical Oncology and General Surgery and trained further with a fellowship in Laparoscopic and Robotic Onco Surgery. He uses frozen section routinely for margin checks, sentinel lymph node assessment and intraoperative diagnosis in breast, thyroid, head and neck, ovarian and other cancer surgeries, so patients avoid second operations whenever the science supports it.

That live, intraoperative decision making is what separates modern cancer surgery from the older wait and come back approach. Every case at MACS Clinic goes through tumour board review, where the surgical plan is set together. Call +91 8104310753 to book your consultation.

Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.